13 Emerging Benefits and Uses of Yuzu Fruit

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Yuzu (Citrus junos) is a hybrid citrus fruit also known as yuja. It originated in China over 1,000 years ago and now grows in Japan, Korea, and other parts of the world.

The fruit is small, with a diameter of 2–3 inches (5.5–7.5 cm). It has a relatively thick yellow skin and is more aromatic and much sourer than other citrus fruits.

Particularly popular in East Asian cuisine, its juice, peel, and seeds serve as gourmet flavorings for vinegars, seasonings, sauces, and marmalades. Yuzu oil is also commonly used in cosmetics, perfume, and aromatherapy.

Curiously, this fruit may provide several benefits, including reducing inflammation and promoting heart health.

Antioxidants are compounds that neutralize free radicals, which are reactive molecules that damage cells and cause oxidative stress when their numbers get too high in the body. This stress is associated with many diseases (5).

Vitamin C is not only an antioxidant but also helps regenerate other antioxidants in your body, such as vitamin E (11).

In addition, a test-tube study noted that limonene, a flavor compound in the peel of yuzu and other citrus fruits, acts as an antioxidant and helps reduce inflammation. It may be particularly useful in treating some types of asthma (12).

Blood clotting ensures that you stop bleeding after a cut or scrape. However, excessive clotting can cause blockages in small and large blood vessels — which may lead to heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Interestingly, test-tube and animal studies reveal that yuzu extract may have anti-clotting effects by inhibiting the grouping of platelets (15, 16, 17).

These properties are linked to two key flavonoids, hesperidin and naringin, in both the flesh and peel (17).

By improving blood flow, yuzu extract may reduce your risk of heart disease. However, significantly more research is needed before it can be recommended for this use.

Summary

Two flavonoids in yuzu may help reduce blood clotting. This may improve blood flow and reduce your risk of heart disease, though further research is needed.

May protect against infection. Yuzu seed extract has been shown to have antimicrobial activity against a variety of infectious organisms, including influenza, E. coli, Salmonella, and S. aureus (33, 34).

Utilized in anti-aging cosmetics. This citrus fruit is used in cosmetics for skin lightening and collagen synthesis, which may help prevent wrinkles (35).

Keep in mind that many of these purported benefits are related to concentrated extracts or specific compounds rather than the fruit itself.

Thus, it’s unlikely that you would consume enough yuzu to see these effects, as it’s primarily used as a flavoring agent — not eaten on its own.

SUmmary

Animal and test-tube studies suggest that yuzu extract may fight infections and support healthy blood sugar, as well as heart and bone health. It’s also used in cosmetics. Still, research is limited.

Because of its sourness, yuzu isn’t normally eaten on its own. Nonetheless, you can enjoy it in a variety of ways.

Yuzu is traditionally used for making Asian vinegars and seasonings. In Japanese cuisine, it’s often added to pastes, powders, marmalades, jellies, sweets, and tea.

Because it has a similar acidity as lemons and limes, it makes a great replacement for either of these fruits in dressings, condiments, desserts, baked goods, and drinks.

It may be difficult to buy the fruit at your local supermarket, but its juice is available at specialty stores and online.

Look for 100% yuzu juice with no additives to get the most benefits. Many yuzu products pack significant amounts of sugar to counterbalance its sourness, so be sure to read the ingredient list (36).

Finally, you can enjoy its aroma via essential oil — or by zesting the rind and adding it to a small bowl of neutral oil, such as grapeseed.

Keep in mind that essential oils should never be ingested and must be diluted prior to use.

Summary

Yuzu can be used as a substitute for lemon or lime in many dishes, and it’s particularly suitable for sauces, marmalades, jellies, drinks, and sweets. Be sure to watch for added sugars in products made with this fruit.